Judge Joe Brown: Cancelled Over Contract

Judge Joe Brown is leaving the bench — at least for now. After 15 years on the air, Judge Joe Brown has been cancelled because a new contract agreement couldn’t be reached, reports B&C.

According to Brown, he and CBS Television Distribution (CTD) have had a profit split over the past seven years. CTD says that profit margins have become slimmer since they made the deal because viewership has dropped. With the exception of Judge Judy, all of the court shows are down this year, sometimes by as much as 20%.

After not being able to work out a new contract with Brown, CTD tried to shop a new judge — Judge Geoffrey Gaither of Marion County, Indiana — but Fox (which licenses Brown in the biggest markets) wasn’t interested.

As a result, CTD has cancelled the show and affiliates are left to figure out how to replace it.

Brown said, “It was time to move out on my own since I had some ideas that I had been having to pull teeth with no novocaine to get adopted.” He feels that CTD “difficult to deal with” and “applied zero public relations and zero advertisement” to his show.

The judge is launching his own production company and is already shopping ideas to distributors. They include a three hour radio show starring Brown and that’s already been cleared in 30 markets. This program may lead to a TV series. He also plans to produce at least one new court show, one featuring retired California Judge Deann Salcido.

Judge Joe Brown launched in September 1998 and has consistently been the second-highest rated court show, behind Judge Judy. It will continue to air until September 2013.

What do you think? Will you miss watching Judge Joe Brown? Would you watch a new program featuring Brown?

I only watch the 2 or 3 judges shows. Brown, Alex , sometimes Mathis
these three Because seem their understand the situations better to me.
Most of the Female ones. some to be pretty Mean and cut and dry.
While the Brown, Alex, Mathis. Seem to me understand, And take better take their time, to listen, go their the case with a lot better standards.
And Love the Judge Joe Brown Man- UP Helpful statements to the Cases.

Judge Joe Brown is the only judge I watch on TV. He uses a lot of kindness with common sense. I never watch Judge Judy. She is so ill tempered she turns me off. Judge Joe Brown is not mean. He tries to help.

I have been watching Judge Joe Brown, when he started on TV. Please bring him back to TV. I just hate to see him leave. I would never ever watch Judge Judy, she is the rude of rude. Why don’t they let her go…

I have watched Judge Joe Brown, and think he makes fair minded decisions ! That said, since the population of the USA is 67% European Americans; 15% Hispanic Americans ( includes undocumented ); 13% African Americans; 4% Asian Americans ( Chinese, Indians, etc. ), and 1% Native Americanresuit feats, his show should represent the fair % of participants ! On his show 70% are Black Americans, and therefore represents racist progrqaming ! Sorry, but the FACTS speak for themeselves ! Will not watch Judge Brown, Judge Mathis, or any show that does not practice equality ! Judge Donald

Will miss Judge Joe. He is the only Judge with not only a great knowledge of the law but has common sense. Unlike Judge Judy who might have command of the law but has no common sense at all. Has to go to her balif much too often.

I personally found Judge Joe too abrasive at times – even more so than Judge Judy. Unlike Judy who usually injects some humor with her meanness, Judge Joe was often mean just to be mean. His traditional opinions about gender roles also didn’t wash well with me, as a man who is probably as far from traditional masculinity as you can get. However, I’d still rather watch Judge Joe than one of Entertainment Studios’ crappy scripted judge shows (the popularity of which is baffling to me). And I’ll admit that there was one part of his show I relished – the “Bad Girls” cases. In most of those, Judge Joe’s meanness was justified, because the “bad girls” (usually the defendants) were simply out of control. Fortunately some of the best moments are preserved on YouTube.

What I find distressing about this is that another judge show based on “real cases” and “real people” is going off the air and will likely be replaced with a lame talk show or another crappy scripted judge show from Entertainment Studios (like Judge Karen Mills-Francis’ new show). I’m a rabid Judge Judy fan but also enjoy The People’s Court with Marilyn Milian and Judge Mathis, and hope Milian and Mathis aren’t next on the chopping block. I still miss Judge Hatchett, Judge Jeannine Pirro and Swift Justice (though I only watched the first season of that, with Nancy Grace) and am disgusted that all these crappy scripted Entertainment Studios shows are cluttering up the airwaves now (America’s Court, We the People, Justice for All, and now Judge Karen’s Supreme Justice).

I can’t believe judge Joe is going. The only episodes of swift justice I watched was the Nancy Grace ones. I hope they don’t replace judge joe with another judge that holds court on the sidewalk like whatever that guy’s name was